Each year Mental Illness Awareness Week takes place during the first full week of October, and those seven days offer a firm opportunity for advocates to fight stigmas, provide support, and educate the public on mental illness condition.

While conversations about social, educational and economic status of Latinas regularly mark the front of newspapers, talks about mental and emotional health aren't visited with the same regularity. Depression and suicide rates have increased for young Hispanic women. Also, Latinas are less likely to receive mental health support than White women or African American women, but one effective way for Latinas to address mental health challenges in their lives is for them to find their voices.

UCLA researchers determined that Latinos/Hispanics and African Americans are disproportionately affected by mental health issues and chronic disease, likely due to cumulative discrimination, trauma and community violence.

Second-generation Latino teens experience sleeplessness for numerous reasons. Mood, work or school-related anxiety, and stress from discrimination frequently takes a toll on the sleeping habits of Latino youth.

"Made by Raffi" and "Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass" are distinctly different. Yes, the two superb works tackle issues of identity, bullying, diversity and acceptance. But one tackles ethnic/racial identity in the midst of experiencing peer intimidation during the years of adolescence, while the other tackles gender norms and walking to the beat of one's own drum during childhood.

In 2006, Robin Williams sought assistance for his depression but wasn't diagnosed with clinical depression. Likewise, many in the Latino community who show signs of severe depression go undiagnosed and untreated, leaving them susceptible to effects of the serious disorder.

A study recently published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity examined the effects of red meat, soft drinks and refined grains on women. According to the study, women who have diets high in these foods, such as pasta, were more likely to suffer from depression.